Cheating in Pre-Reqs

TheNursingdoll, CNA

Cheating, especially in pre-reqs as a future healthcare worker, is like committing an abomination sin. Before you even start your program, you have shown what your work ethic is, and in other words, you can kiss your future career goodbye. Cheating happens, some people get away with it, and others reap the consequences of their actions. Here are my stories from prereqs, why it's much worse than what people think.

Story 1 : (Anatomy and Physiology Class)

In my first attempt at A&P I, three girls were friends. Two of them tried to befriend smarter students and the teachers but did not prevail, and the other one did their own thing until the second lab. These girls thought they were better than others, and usually, during AP1, they wouldn't listen during lectures and complained about how difficult the course was. When quizzes came, their whispers prevailed, and if the teacher left the room, the textbook was cracked open. In the lab, they broke policies such as talking during the exam and copying off of others. These two girls, in particular, cheated countless times, and for a while, it went unnoticed by the teacher other students (at least 3 started to notice). In this situation, the students who saw the cheating turned an eye, and 3 of us turned them in, and the teacher kept a hawk-eye. Years later, one girl is still in AP1, and the other got kicked.

Story 2 :

It was the time of my sociology midterm. I was nervous as soon as we began our tests, despite it being an easy class. Out of my peripheral, I noticed a girl eyeing my screen instead of altering the teachers. I remember coming up with the dumb idea to click all the wrong answers. Within minutes she clicked the answers (the wrong wrongs), submitted her midterm, and got up from the classroom. I saw her a couple of weeks later, giving me razor-sharp stares.

Story 3 :

In another attempt at anatomy, which was online, our teacher was new to our campus and was very lenient. The course itself wasn't hard (mainly because the powerpoints she taught were actually from the textbook), and she gave us numerous resources. Before the midterm, our class average was a high A, but our midterm average was a D/C. This raised suspicions with the professor. A few weeks after a session was called, she said that there was cheating within the class, and if you were caught in an assignment, she ended up putting a 0 in your grade book and if you had a problem, take it up with the dean.

The icing on top of the cake was when she announced that our class would spend the remainder of the semester on LockDown Browser. The worry appeared on several faces through webcams, and before the quizzes started for that week, at least 4 students dropped the class, and before the final many more. We ended our class with 19 students, but we started with 30.

Lessons learned:

1. When you're a healthcare student cheating, think about it long-term - I've learned from the others cheating that as a healthcare student, it's the worse thing that you can do. When you cheat, you're cheating your patients out of quality care.

2. The effort it takes to cheat is the effort you could have taken to study - When you cheat, you get the result you want, but you never reap the awards. Things get super hard, especially in difficult science and math classes, but to work for what you want despite the difficulty you face and to pass, it's definitely rewarding. As a teacher had told our class about a year after this happened, the effort it takes to cheat is the effort you could have taken to study.

3. Don't take down a cheater. They take down themselves – While I did notice cheating like some of the other students, I didn't understand why some stayed out of it but now I can facepalm myself. When people cheat, they end up getting caught inevitability, and the lack of knowledge shows itself. While yeah, the teacher noticed, the route they took eventually caught up with them, and I wish I would've kept my head in my books too.

How to deal with being cheated off of :

1. Alert the teacher the moment it happens – A mistake I look back on in the 2nd story is I should have asked to speak to the teacher outside and alerted her of what happened. If someone is cheating off you, warn them during (preferably) or after the quiz, don't wait to report.

2. Write down as much information as you possibly can about the event - Write down as much detail as you can about this event to give your teacher, who will probably, in turn, give it to the academic dean

3. Be more lowkey with tests – After answering a question, I would always fold my paper so anyone wouldn't see it. Usually, when I took exams, I would sit in the back alone and take my tests.

Why it's much horrible than you think :

1. You've already proved your work ethic - When you cheat, you have already proven yourself to take the easy way out, not soak in information, and untrustworthy.

2. Even when you redeem yourself, this follows you – People change or, when cheating, just simply had a moment of weakness. But usually, when you cheat, this goes on your school record, which can follow you throughout your academic journey

3. Schools may not accept you – As listed in #2, cheating is usually put on your school record. This may lead schools not to take you into their programs, no matter how competitive you are.

4. You lack certain skills – When cheating, you cheat yourself out of vital knowledge and skills, so if you were to enter the workforce or the next phase of classes, in a way, you'd be incompetent.

So if you are tempted to cheat, think of the consequences. Along with this, put in as much work as you possibly can!

Cheating in Pre-Reqs

Story 1 : (Anatomy and Physiology Class)

Story 2 :

Story 3 :

Lessons learned:

How to deal with being cheated off of :

Why it's much horrible than you think :

About TheNursingdoll, CNA

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